ORIGINAL LINK : https://www.bbc.com/korean/articles/c0d2zze4rgdo
On the 6th (local time), former US President Donald Trump once again stood in court. He is accused of manipulating the value of his assets for bank loans. However, his demeanor in court was no different from usual.
In the trial held in the New York State Court that day, Trump testified in the same manner as when he was a real estate businessman and politician. He ignored rules, skipped details, and boasted with bluster.
Through this aggressive and free-spirited demeanor, one could guess what attitude Trump might show as a defendant in the four criminal cases to be unfolded in the future.
Trump continued to provoke the ire of Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over the trial, by refusing to directly answer questions posed by Letitia James, New York State Attorney General and Chief Prosecutor.
In response to questions about accounting documents and dates that required a ‘yes or no’ answer, he bragged about the enormous value of his assets and responded with a long speech criticizing the partisan tendencies of the judge and prosecutor.
During the trial, he even remarked, “This is a very unfair trial… I hope the public is watching.”
Indeed, dozens of reporters gathered in court that day to relay his testimony to the outside world, as cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom.
Seemingly aware of this, Trump vigorously defended himself using similar logic and words that he often used to stir up anger among his supporters on social media and at political rallies.
Even during the afternoon recess that day, a post criticizing Judge Engoron was posted on Trump’s ‘Truth Social’ account.
In response to some questions, Trump, who claimed that the Attorney General and other prosecutors were “chasing me from all directions,” criticized, “All Democrats, people who hate me, all bad cases,” and denounced the “weaponization of the judicial system. They weaponize it.”
Thus, his responses were sometimes boastful and sometimes simply strange.
For example, when Kevin Wallace, a lawyer from the Attorney General’s office, asked about the value of his brand, Trump boasted, “I became president thanks to my brand.”
In response to a question about his golf course in Scotland, he suddenly expressed his political opposition to wind farms, saying, “I don’t like wind farms.” A wind farm is installed off the coast of Trump’s golf course.
All morning, such evasive or partisan responses continued.
During the trial, Judge Engoron admonished Trump’s defense team, asking, “Can you control your client?” and stating, “This is not a political rally.”
In addition, Judge Engoron repeatedly chastised Trump and his defense team from the bench throughout the morning.
Ordinarily, witnesses in court do not speak at length or in such a manner. But Trump is not an ordinary defendant.
When Judge Engoron’s reprimands for such behavior continued, Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise also acknowledged his client’s behavior, calling it an “unusual situation,” and argued that Trump’s remarks should be allowed given his unique position and circumstances.
However, Judge Engoron thought differently. It seemed that he had decided to treat Trump like any other defendant.
After the afternoon recess, Trump was noticeably subdued. There were moments when he expressed strong emotions towards Attorney General James (James simply ignored this), but he kept his answers short compared to the morning.
The Attorney General’s side claimed that Trump and his closest associates inflated the value of their assets on financial statements to facilitate bank loans.
Facing these allegations, Trump, once the 45th President of the United States, tried hard to seize the opportunity to boast about the value of his brand. It was a tactic he enjoyed when he entered politics about 10 years ago.
In between these boasts and expressions of anger, Trump defended himself by insisting that his assets are worth much more than the numbers written on paper, and that the bank loans he is known to have taken out have been fully repaid.
For example, he claimed that his ‘Mar-a-Lago’ mansion in Florida is worth a “much larger number” than the number recorded on the balance sheet, and boasted that ‘Trump Tower’ on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York, occupies “the best location in New York.”
Meanwhile, Trump has been a witness before. In fact, at the beginning of this trial, Judge Engoron placed Trump on the witness stand, judging that his specific remarks were directed at a court official.
Trump is behaving like this as a former president, a front-runner among Republican primary candidates, and a defendant in four criminal cases (this case is a civil trial) where he could face imprisonment.
These trials will proceed one by one, intertwined with the US elections next year.
As he is increasingly cornered, Trump is gradually raising the level of his remarks. It’s a return to the street fighter image he had when he wrested the Republican presidential nomination from established politicians in 2016.
He is directly attacking and strongly criticizing the prosecution by name, as well as court officials.
Last October, Judge Engoron issued a gag order prohibiting court criticism when Trump seemed to be making disparaging remarks about a court official sitting to the judge’s right. So far, Judge Engoron has fined Trump $15,000 (about 19 million won), and also issued a gag order to Trump’s lawyer who claimed that the court official was biased.
Meanwhile, Trump also turned his arrows of criticism to the judge himself during the trial on the 6th.
“I am confident that this judge will rule against me (this time) because he always rules against me,” he said.
In response, Judge Engoron retorted, “You can attack me, you can do whatever you want,” but “answer the question.”
Additional reporting by: Madeline Halpert, Chloe Kim
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